Evaluating Perioperative Nursing in Finland: An Initial Validation of Perioperative Nursing Data Set Outcomes

The current Finnish version of AORN's Perioperative Nursing Data Set consists of nursing diagnoses and interventions but not outcomes. During the early Finnish validation phase, researchers determined that almost half of the outcomes listed in the AORN version were impossible to measure in Finland. We conducted this study to determine the applicability of the nursing outcomes identified in the Perioperative Nursing Data Set, 2nd ed Rev, and to test the use of the outcomes by exploring the relevance of the outcome indicators for eight selected outcomes. We collected the data by using two surveys with structured questionnaires that were provided to an expert panel of nurses and physicians. Panel members found that most of the outcomes were acceptable for use in Finnish perioperative care; however, further validation of the outcome indicators is needed to develop tools to support nurses in their attempts to reach desirable nursing-sensitive outcomes for patients.